A co-ordinated response to anxiety disorders

UCT is playing a major part in improving knowledge about anxiety disorders on an international scale. Through a partnership with the European and South African Research Network in Anxiety Disorders (EUSARNAD), the university is facilitating an international research exchange that aims to develop a greater understanding of these disorders and more effective treatments for patients.

The backbone of any effective treatment is rigorous, empirically tested data and a dedicated research team, according to EUSARNAD. To support this, the project brings together researchers from UCT and 11 other institutions to produce first-rate research. By placing individual exchange researchers in institutions with novel populations and methodologies, this international collaboration allows for greater attention to important questions about anxiety. The result is a stronger body of data that can be used to inform more effective care.

The EUSARNAD initiative was first launched in 2011 by David Baldwin, professor of psychiatry at the University of Southampton and honorary professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UCT, as the Anxiety Disorders Research Network. The collaboration originated within the network of a number of leading research centres in Europe and with support from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.